Lessons from a Life Lived

Corey Rudl was an Internet Marketing Pioneer who—in June, 2005—tragically died in a car-racing accident. At only 35 years old, his professional success was already an inspiration to millions of people in both the “online” and “offline” worlds. What follows are the Five Lessons he used to preach to anyone who would listen:

Lesson #1: Failure doesn’t “happen”; it’s a choice. In Corey’s mind, there were only two ways you could fail: You could either quit, or you could decide not to learn from your past errors. In whichever case, you’d have to choose to lose.

Lesson #2: Assume nothing, test everything.
Corey had no respect for people who were content to ass-u-me. If you don’t know the solution, he pronounced, don’t guess at what it might be—get the facts. Go straight to the source for the answer, or test your hypothesis before you make claims.

Lesson #3:Make opportunities to learn, and take notes.
Corey was constantly reading…on airplanes, in between meetings, and on vacations. He attributed his success directly to studying every business book, article, course, and marketing campaign he could get his hands on.

Lesson #4: Seek out great teachers, and be a great listener.
Corey believed that if you wanted to fast-track your career, it was critical to seek guidance from those who had gone before you…even if you only had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

Lesson #5: Define your own success, and live with passion.
Corey’s biggest frustration was that people seemed to just let life “happen” to them. “They have dreams,” he would rant, “But they don’t set GOALS! Why do so few of us actually design objectives and take action?”

Corey was adamant that anyone can achieve anything; that we can be anything…do anything…have anything. If you decide that your age, work background, and level of education limit your potential, they will. But, if you decide that you can win your objectives, you can. While his own life was short, Corey’s teachings will long outlast him.

Don’t wait until the near-end to develop and absorb the lessons of your life. Learn from Corey’s struggles and successes, and contact me to examine your own. I promise to be a worthy guide as long as you choose to keep REACHING…